Determination of 210Po content of vietnamese tobacco samples

Abstract

Smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable death. In recent years, numerous countries have initiated the prohibition of smoking in restaurants, workplaces and public spaces. The Vietnamese government intends to follow the precautions against public smoking as well. Over and above the number of some hazardous chemical components found in tobacco, 210Po isotope content could enhance the probability of the development of lung cancer. In this study 14 Vietnamese tobacco products (commercial cigarettes and pipe tobacco) 210Po activity concentration were determined using PIPS semiconductor alpha spectrometry. The results showed that the 210Po activity concentration of the investigated samples varied between 7.40 ± 1.09–128.64 ± 11.22 mBq g−1. The average 210Po content of commercial cigarettes was 15.5 mBq g−1, whilst the average of pipe tobacco was 20.4 mBq g−1. To estimate the risk of inhalation of 210Po isotopes originating as a result of smoking, dose estimations were carried out.